The medical advantages of hand washing can be traced as far back as 1847 stemming from the work of Semmelweis, who was an early pioneer in the field of aseptic procedures. Semmelweis instituted hand washing with non-medicated soap in combination with chlorinated lime solution and discovered decreases in mortality rates in patents. What Semmelwis's work uncovered, and the modern medical profession knows well today, is that microorganisms can be transferred from health care workers (HCWs) to patients and vice versa.
Most commonly, this transmission occurs is through direct contact by the HCW with the pathogen. The hands of HCWs may be colonized or contaminated with pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter species, Enterobacter species, or Candida species, for example. In addition, it has been demonstrated that microorganisms accumulate on HCWs' hands over time during patient care. Therefore, hands of HCWs can transmit pathogens even without previous contact with other patients. Even using gloves does not completely protect against contamination of the hands.
Hospital acquired infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial infections, are a serious public health problem and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. HAIs can also prolong the length of hospital stays thereby increasing costs throughout a healthcare system and further increase chances for additional infections. This problem of HAI is, in part, directly related to lack of compliance for hand washing amongst HCWs. The financial impact to hospitals, specifically, and the health care system, generally, is appreciable and unacceptable. HAIs stemming from failure to comply with hand-washing protocols is avoidable. Furthermore, strategies investing in systems and methods to minimize the occurrence of HAIs could potentially free up monies to be invested elsewhere, for instance, in renovations of the hospital, research and development, and recruitment and retention of HCWs.